Paper Mario: Peach's Small Adventure
by Master of the Tamers
Summary: After a failed kidnapping, Princess Peach finds herself in an unfamiliar area. Unfortunately this is only the starts of her problems, problems that are getting smaller. Mario, unaware of Peach's fate, head off to confront Bowser, only to unexpectedly team up with him to find the missing Princess. Meanwhile a new evil is pose to take over. Set in ther Paper Mario world.
1. Introducion

Paper Mario:

Peach's Small Adventure

Introduction:

They Always Says it's a Small World

It has begun like usual from a certain blonde-haired, pink dress-wearing Princess. Princess Peach, after waking from a peaceful night's sleep, and taking a long bath to wake up, headed to the royal dinning hall, dressed in her usual outfit. She smiled as she was meant at the hall by her faithful steward, and possibly the closest thing she had for a father in a long time, Toadsworth.

"Good morning, Princess," the elder toad said with a light bow.

"And good morning to you, Toadsworth," the princess replied with kindness in her voice.

She took a seat and waited for breakfast to arrive, as Toadsworth began listing off the matter that needed her attention. Princess Peach let out a mute sigh, as she looked out the window, a soft smile playing on her lips. She was currently dreaming about a certain red colored plumber, and wondering if he had any free time to "hang" out with her.

The princess was brought back to reality, by the sounds of a horn. Peach frowned lightly as she knew that horn and what it meant. However, before she could act, the window in the dinning hall exploded, and familiar figure appeared.

"BWAAH AHAHAHA! Princess Peach today is the day I make you mine!" King Bowser said loudly, as he hoped off of his out-dated flying machine, the Clown Car.

He then rushed at Princess Peach, and before anyone could react, grabbed the startled princess and returned to his machine. Peach cried out, more out of habit then actually fear, as the clown car rocketed away from her castle at high speeds. Unfortunately, no one notice the puffs of black smoke coming from the bottom of the machine.

Toadsworth, having recovered from seeing the ghastly Bowser, immediately headed to the wall, to the right of the dinning room door. Opening a secret panel, the elder toad took out a red phone, which is directly connected to the home that housed a pair of familiar plumbers.

(…)

At the house of Mario and his young brother Luigi, they were enjoying a little down time, sleeping in late. Suddenly, Luigi was startled awake, by the sound of a phone ringing. This caused the taller plumber to jump into the air, shrieking, and kicking as he landed hard on the floor. Moaning, Luigi set up, his bed sheet covering his entire right side, and picked up the phone.

"Hello," Luigi said sleepily.

"...Luigi, my boy, dreadful news!" Toadsworth said in a panic. "That ghastly Bowser had once again came and taken our fair princess in his dreadful claws and spirited away with her! You must get Mario on the case posthaste!"

With that, the line went dead. Luigi, however, had stopped listening when he heard the news that one of his good friends has been kidnapped, and had already spring into action. He threw off the bed covering and rushed over to his brother's bed. The older Mario brother wasn't disturbed by the phone. In fact, he was snoring so loud, a snort bubble was coming out of the rounder plumper's nose.

"Mario, wake up," Luigi said, shaking his brother lightly.

Mario stirred slightly before settling deeper into his sheets, and began snoring again, only this time a little louder. Luigi, getting a bit irritated, try shaking his brother awoke again, only a little harder this time. Again, all this did was cause the red cloth plumber to stir slightly, and retreat deeper into his covers, where he fell back into a peaceful slumber.

Luigi, getting mad now, went over to a closest, and took something from it. He returned to the bed with the object hidden behind him. With an out of character evil smile, he brought out his hammer and raised it over his head. Suddenly the front door opened, and in ran a toad.

"Mario! Mario, The princess has been kidnapped!"

Hearing this, the red plumber instantly woke up. He jumped out of bed; covering his brother with his covers, causing the young brother becomes disoriented. Luigi stumbled slightly before loosing his grip on his hammer, causing to fall onto his head. Moaning, the younger Mario brother fell to the ground, the sheets falling from off of him to reveal swirls had replaced his eyes.

Mario, unaware of his brother or the actions he was about to take, speed through the mushroom kingdom. He hurried to the palace, to try and get any leads as to where Bowser was going to the take the lovely Princess this time around.

(…)

Princess Peach let out a small sigh, one that want unnoticed by her supposed captor. Bowser was to busy to notice his captive, gloating to himself about another success kidnapping. Letting out another faint sigh, the bored princess looked at the sky, and frowned as she began thinking.

She could actually just jump from Bowser's flying machine; she wasn't tied up or anything. She could even use her skirt to slow her descent, and escape without harm. The only thing that stopped her is the memory from when she had tried to escape on her own one other time. When Bowser had found her missing, he flew into a rage, and in a rare moment of brutality for him, attacked a village they were passing by. What had occurred in this village shocked everyone, even Bowser himself, as he's not one for needless violence, no matter how mad he becomes. She had surrendered to stop the Koopa's rampage before someone got seriously hurt.

She let a third sigh, and looked down, frowning a little more as she saw a dense forest, one she didn't recognize. She knew she was still in the Mushroom kingdom, it just a part she never been in before. She looked around; trying to found any landmark she was familiar with. Sadly, she could find any, which means Bowser probably either lost and taking her someplace where she wouldn't be find that easy.

_Just where are we?_ Princess Peach asked curiously.

Suddenly, the flying machine began jolting violently, causing both riders to gasp. Bowser began to wrestle with the controls, trying to get his machine under control, and cursing just loud enough for the Princess to hear.

"I knew it was a mistake to let Kammy Koopa talk me into using this hunk of junk!" Bowser said angrily.

Bowser began lowering the machine closer to the ground, still trying to gain control of it, and loosing too. Peach, holding on for dear life, was afraid for the first time since Bowser first kidnapped her all those many years ago. The machine was clearly getting worse; each jolt was getting longer and more violent. And the Koopa king himself wasn't having much luck with regaining control. She was starting to think she wasn't going to make it out of this one unharmed like all of her other kidnappings.

Suddenly, the machine did one power jolt, causing the startled princess to lose her hold as she went tumbling over the side of the machine. Peach gasp lightly she tried to reach from Bowser's flying machine. Unfortunately, Bowser was able to regain control of the machine at that time, and rocketed away mere second before Peach could grabbed onto the machine. She let out a horrifying scream as she fell like a rock to the ground below.

Bowser, for his part, wasn't even aware of the princess's fate. He was still wrestling with his machine, trying hard to keep it under his control.

Peach found herself falling fast, and trying to right himself, so she could use her skirt to try and slow her fall. Unfortunately, she just couldn't gain enough control of herself to move the way she wanted to, and found the forest she was just looking at coming at her quickly. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt herself going through the branches of the trees, wincing slightly as her body broke through them.

_Splash!_

Peach opened her eyes as she felt herself land in water. Startled, she looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was in some kind of large well, or maybe a broken fountain. It was big enough for her entire body to fit in and float aimlessly, while shallow enough not to pose any real threat. The princess let out a sigh of relief as she let her body relax, and let the water just soaked away her worries.

"I thought I wasn't going to make it that time," Peach whispered softly to herself.

She allowed herself an extra 30 seconds before getting out of the fountain. Once on her feet again, she checked herself over. Surprisingly, she wasn't that seriously hurt; only a few small cuts, and a small arch in her back from the rough landing in the fountain. She quickly remembered that all of her outfits were enchanted long ago, to try and protect for from Bowser. It was probably this enchantment that saved her from serious injury.

Peach frowned when she noticed something odd when she looked at her clothes. They were drying fast, faster then should be possible. She checked her hair and confirmed that it was drying just as fast as her outfit. Fear Returning, Peach realized that the water must have some sort of magic to it.

Within half a minute, Peach's entire outfit, and hair were completely dry. But that didn't matter at the moment, the princess was to worry about what the water's magic could do to her. She watched her body close, checking to see if anything new grew or if anything on her change. After two and half minutes of watching, the princess calmed herself. There was nothing different about her, no new arms or legs. Her normal limbs weren't longer or have changes to them either.

Peach let out a sigh of relief as she spotted a sigh. Curious, she walked up to it and frown when she saw it. The object was in bad shape from years of neglect and most of the sigh was broken off. All that was left was the bottom with the word fountain on it. She frowned as she looked at the fountain. Now that she had a better look at the thing that saved her, it did indeed look like a fountain, just without a center piece for water flow. That probably also broke due to years of neglect.

"Well, I guess I can't stay here, staying at it all day," Peach said to herself, as she turned away from old fountain.

She began walking, trying to get her bearing in this unfamiliar place. As she walked away from the sign, a light breeze swiped through the area. The breeze was powerful enough to uncover the rest of the sign, which lay close to the pole. The other half of the sign said in big, bold word "STAY AWAY."

(…)

Five minutes pass since she left the fountain, causing Princess Peach to frown. She thought she has been going the right way, but everything like to much alike. She didn't know if she was going deeper into the forest or not. She also was unfamiliar with the land, thus making it that much harder to navigate. Plus, the oddest things seem to happening. It seems the farther she ventured into the forest, the bigger things got. It was so discouraging that the wondering Princess found herself letting out a slight depressing sigh.

It was times like this that Peach wished she was just a normal girl. A normal girl wouldn't have to deal with all the pressure of running a kingdom or staying on good terms with other kingdoms so not to go to war. Oh, and having to deal with a love struck tyrant, who just love to kidnap you a weekly basis, Peach couldn't forget that one. If she was a normal girl, however, none of that would matter.

Peach let out another faint sigh as she began walking again. No sense in wonder about 'what-if and maybes' when she needs to found her way out. After nearly six minute of walking, she saw something that made her gasp loudly. When she left the area with the old fountain, she saw a small grove around the center of a tree. She had decided use that area as a sort of home location, in case she couldn't get out right away. If she was seeing that grove again that would mean that she just walked around in circles for nearly 13 minutes.

However, the fact that the princess had gone around in a circle wasn't what had her mouth hanging to the ground at the moment. It was the marking on the tree that nearly cause everyone favorite princess to take a face plant into the ground. The groove, which minutes ago were below the princess's neckline, was now higher then she was. She walked up to it and noticed that the tip of her crown didn't reach it. She looked at the groove, and to growing horror, the mark was moving farther away, getting higher with each massing second.

Suddenly it clicked in the princess's mind. She looked around, and watched, with a knot forming in her stomach, as the top of the trees got farther away. She noticed a small rock by her feet, and looked on with fright as it grew. No…she realized things weren't growing! It was her, she was getting smaller.

"I'm…shrinking," Peach said, in a voice barely above a whispered.

Suddenly, the ruler of the mushroom kingdom found it hard to breathe. Her breath was coming out as short and jagged gasp as she watched the world around her get bigger and farther away. She nearly went into hyperventilation as her shrinking suddenly kicked into high gear. The groove, which she has watched very carefully, quickly skyrocketed to castle level and beyond within a few seconds. Looking away, the princess nearly fainted as she watched familiar surroundings morphed into alien and frightening land. She looked back at the groove, and to her horror, she could barely see it.

Peach, though believe that her shrinking had stopped, was in shock. Barely keeping herself awake, the shrunken princess noticed a rock, really just a pebble to a normal person, and walked up to it. To a normal person, the pebble would probably be the size of child thumb, but to the princess it reached passed her knees.

"…Just how small am I?" Peach asked in a shallow voice.

Suddenly a shadow, accompanied by a loud flipping noise startled the princess. She looked up, and with eyes wide as saucer, watched a bird, the size of the bird of legend, the Rock, soared over head. Stunned motionless, the mini princess could only watched as the large, to her anyways, bird flow away. Finally, everything took it toll on the emotionally drained princess, and she fall to her knees, feeling light-headed. A second later, she fainted, falling completely onto her back.

The forest seemed to fall into blissful silence, allowing the reduced princess her sleep. Unknown to her though, was a shadow, moving cautiously close to the unconscious figure. The figure hesitantly reached out to touch the princess, stopping mere inches from touching Peach's shoulder.

(…)

"This is terrible, awfully, simply a tragedy!" Toadsworth said for like the tenth time, pacing in front of the broken window. "I simply don't know what to do in this situation, Mario, my boy!"

Mario let out a mute sigh as he continued to watch the worry steward pass back and forth, somehow avoiding the glass on the floor. The red plumber had arrived at the castle nearly 12 minutes ago, unfortunately, Toadsworth had gone into panic mode, and trying to get any information out of him at the moment was pointless. He also knew from experience that if the elder toad didn't calm down by himself, there was no way of getting him calm enough to get anything worth wild from him.

So, Mario just waited it out, hopping that Toadsworth wasn't in one of rare 12 hours rants. Thankfully, this wasn't one of those times, and after a minute and half, the elder toad wore himself out. While he was catching his breath, Mario went up to the older toad and inquired about any new information on Bowser, and where might have taken the princess this time.

"Hmm…" Toadsworth thought it over and moment. "…Well reports say that Bowser forces were building him a new fortress on the outskirts of the Lost Forest."

"Huh?" Mario muttered, tilting his head to the right.

Toadsworth was surprised by this, and voiced it as well," You mean, a world famous explorer like yourself have never heard of the Lost Forest?!"

Mario thought it over for a minute, but was drawing a blink. He shook his head no, and this almost caused the elder Toad to go into another panic attack. Luckily, he calmed himself before he got out of hand.

"Well, I guess it isn't that surprising," Toadsworth said, speaking in a calm voice. "Only certain few, like myself, knows the truth about that dreadful place."

Looking out the broken window, the elder toad looked in the direction of where the forest is located. Becoming lost in his memories, he began talking in a solemn voice

"During the time of the princess's great-great-great-grandfather, there was a small toad village on the outskirts of a patch of woods just north of this location. It wasn't anything to special, just limbers and woodcrafters. Then one day, the village just up and disappeared without even a trance to be found. When the princess's great-great-great-grandfather found out about this, he sent some of his best men to investigate. Sadly, the same unknown fate befell them as the village, and they were never seen again. For a time, the ruler continued to send in people to investigate, only to have them lost to that mystery. Finally, the king decided to stop the investigation, and just forbid anyone from entering into that dreadful place."

Toadsworth let out a faint sigh, and looked at the red plumber. Mario was surprise when saw how heavy the elder's toads eyes suddenly have become.

"Sadly, this didn't work out as late king had hope. People continue to venture into that dreadful place, which some never made it out. To insure should tragedies are never repeat, the Princess great-great-grandmother had a road built and the forest blocked," Toadsworth let out another sigh, and looked out the window again. "Still, the problems didn't end there. During the time of the Princess's grandfather, another tragedy occurred, this time to the rule family!"

Mario noticed how sad the elder toad had suddenly become, and moved closer to him, putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Toadsworth looked up at his kingdom's savior and offered a smile, sad smile.

"Thank you, by boy," the elder toad said gratefully.

He then gently pulled his shoulder free, turning to the face the window once more. Mario waited for him to continue his tale, knowing that somehow this was very painful for him. When he spoke, his voice was even more solemn then when he began his tale.

"I was a young scribe at the time, and knew both of the king's children quite well. I was beside myself when the young prince went missing in the awful place. I still remember how grief stricken the king was when he learned of his son's disappeared. He was never the same after that. He even sent a party into the forest, one that, like so many others, never returned."

Toadsworth paused, lost in memories of an older time. He could still remember how the prince used to talk about being a great hero, one who saved his kingdom many times over. It was this impulsive nature that caused him to venture into the Lost Forest, hoping to solve it mysteries and prove himself to his father. And like so many childish fantasies, it never came true, resulting in him being lost forever.

Toadsworth looked at Mario, letting out a heavy sigh in the process. The red plumber was surprise to find his friend's eyes heavier then before.

"After that, the king declared that no one of the royal family shall ever learn of the lost forest or the mysteries it held, to insure that none of his family was lost to it's curse again. Any one who even spoke of it when near a royal member was punished right away. If you want, you could start at that new fortress. Now, my boy, could you leave me."

Mario simply nodded, understanding his friend's grief. He quietly left the hall, as Toadsworth turned back to the broken window, once more lost in memories of olden times.

(…)

Luigi huffed and puffed as he made his way to the castle, hot on his brother's tail. After coming to from that blow to the head, he had followed him. Unfortunately, he wasn't as fast his Mario, and found himself panting half way there. By the time he had reached the castle, he was ready to past out from exhaustion.

The younger Mario brother sighed in relief when he saw the large doors of the castle come into view. He was very close to the doors when it suddenly opened, and Mario came running out. The red plumber rush passed his little brother, causing Luigi to spin in place. The younger yet taller brother stopped a second later, back facing the doors, arms in the air, and right leg sticking out. He fell onto his back after a second in that pose, eyes swirling. Mario, noticing his brother after his hasty exit, made a sharp U-turn, and dash up to the dazed plumber.

"Luigi…Let GO!" Mario said in positively turn.

The red clothed brother then turned around, and dashed off before getting Luigi's reply. The green clothed brother slowly got up, moaning slightly. He let out a tired groan as he began following his brother. Together, the famous Mario Brothers headed off to the Lost Forest, and beyond that, Bowser latest stronghold, with the goal of rescuing Princess Peach.

What the Mario brothers didn't know was the actually whereabouts of said princess, and what had befallen her. They also didn't know what kind of adventure this latest kidnapping would lead them into. Then again, this could be a normal day for the three most famous residents of the Mushroom Kingdom.

(…)

M: First of all, I like to point this out. I'm trying to keep this as close as I can to the games and everyone knows that the Mario brothers aren't known for big talkers. Second, this story would be flip flapping toward comedy and drama a lot, so be prepared.


	2. Prolong part 1: Things Start out Small

Paper Mario:

Peach's Small Adventure:

Prolong Part 1:

Things Start out Small

The unmoving figure in a familiar pink dress started to stir, slowly making her way to the waking world. As her mind worked through the vale of unconsciousness, she began remembering what happen to her.

She remembered being kidnapped during breakfast by Bowser. She recalled flying over a part of the Mushroom kingdom she wasn't familiar with, when the Koopa King's flying machine began going haywire. This had cause her to fall from the machine, and land painfully into an old fountain somewhere in the forest.

It was after that, that things got weird. Not only did her cloth and hair dry quicker then normal, but she found herself shrinking, soon after leaving the fountain. The last thing she remembers was seeing a bird, the size of the legendary creature, the Rock, fly over head. Princess Peach slowly opened her eyes, looking up at a green sky. She frowned lightly as she realized that meant only one thing, and it filled her with dread.

_Guess it wasn't a dream like I hoped,_ Peach thought depressingly.

The mini princess frowned she noticed she was covered with something, and her head also resting on something soft. She looked down and saw that a large leaf was covering her. She turned her head slightly and a saw a small leaf has been bunch up into a makeshift pillow. It was surprisingly comfortable. The leaf blanket was just warm enough that it didn't become any discomfort. The leaf pillow was soft forming around the princess's head so no discomfort was felt.

The entire thing was so comforting, the shrunken Mushroom Ruler found herself drafting back to sleep. The only thing that stopped her from falling completely back to sleep was slight odor that was coming from her right. She looked in that direction, and saw a small fire burning. It was the source of the odor, she realized. It wasn't a bad smell, or even that strong. It was just something she never smelled before, that's all. In fact, the odor was quite wonderful, putting the small princess at ease, and making her went to sleep that much more.

Peach started to close her eyes, drifting silently into sleep. Suddenly, her eyes snapped over, as she realized something. If she has been out, then who put all of this stuff on her? In fact, who started the fire in the first place? She set up, instinctively grabbing the leaf blanket, and looked around.

'Hello? Is anyone there?" Peach asked kindly.

No answer, just the quiet of the large forest. The mini princess stood up, still instinctively holding the leaf blanket. She blushed slightly as she realized something, and looked under the blanket. Her blush deepened from embarrassment a light when she realized she was fully dress. With a sheepish smile, she went about neatly folding the blanket like object, and setting it next to the leaf pillow. Her small task done, the mini ruler turned her attention else where.

"Is anyone out there?" Peach called out again. "I'm promise I'm not going to hurt you!"

Still, all that greeted the shrunken princess was the silence of her giant surroundings. She ventured from the make shift camp site, trying to see if she could spot anything out of the ordinal. She quickly realized how foolish that was. At her current size, whatever that may be, and her unfamiliarity with the forest, she realized she didn't know what to look for. And yet she continued to look, hoping that whoever helped her could give her some insight as to what happen to her.

As the mini ruler looked, other questions began surface in her mind. Just how long was she out and just how small was she? She looked up at the green sky, which were actually just the leaves on the trees. There was light coming through the leaves which meant it was still day out. Then again, it could mean that she could have been asleep for entire day.

That's a thought the small ruler would like to would like to avoid at all costs.

The next thought that popped into the Princess's head, was just how tall she was now? She looked up once more, trying to determine just how small she currently is. Unfortunately, she couldn't determine her current height, no matter how hard she tries. Her best guest is that she's only a few inches tall. That in itself was a very disturbing thought, one that sent shivers down her back. She once again locked that thought deep within her mind, for the time being, and resumed looking for her mysterious provider.

Peach frowned after a near five minute search, and turned up with nothing. Either her mysterious helper was long gone or just hiding really good. Whatever the case, the princess soon found herself back at the campsite, setting with the leaf blanket covering her lower half. She stared deeply into the fire, deciding on her next course of action.

A part of the mini ruler, the damsel in distance part of her, wanted nothing more then to stay where she was, and wait to be rescue. The other part of the princess, the part she only shows to those whom she's closest to, knew the flaw in that logic. At her current size, she would be hard to see by the naked eye, plus, she was in this unknown part of her kingdom, it was highly doubtful that someone would think to look for her in this place.

Peach let out a sigh as she hanged her head, indecision plaguing her mind. She didn't want to venture into the giant forest, for fear of what lurks out there. At the same time, however, she realized that if she doesn't do something herself, then she would likely remain small without a question. Both trains of thoughts weren't very comforting, causing the small princess to crawl up into a ball, with her chin touching her knees.

She just set there for a while, staring into the fire, her mind to busy with processing everything to do much else. As she continued to stare into the fire, she drifted back to an early thought. Someone had went to the trouble to make her comfortable, and even set up a fire. That at least meant there was someone out there…

…_And if there's someone out there, then maybe they could help me get back to normal,_ Peach thought, feeling her hopes rise.

She realized that it wasn't a prefect plan, but it was plan needless, and she wasn't going to let this slim hope slip away. So with that firmly set in her mind, the mini ruler stood up, and prepared to head out. She first put out the fire with a couple of kicks of dirt. She watched as the fire went out, and waited to see if it was truly out, recalling some advice from nature survivors that her mother had her studied under. Once she made sure the fire was out for good, she looked at the leaf blanket and pillow. A part of her didn't want to leave them behind, mainly because they were the only sense of comfort she had in this strange environment. But at the same time, she didn't want to be slow down by the extra weight either.

The shrunken blonde hair beauty walked up the makeshift sleeping bag, a light thinking frown on her face. She really doesn't want to leave the stuff behind, but she really couldn't afford to take it, now could she? Her frown change slightly and she titled her head to the side when she notice something sticking out from under the pillow. Leaning down, she took out what appears be silk of some kind. She took it firmly in both hands and studied it.

It wasn't like any silk the princess had ever held, and being royalty, she had held many fine and rare silk items over her lifetime. But this felt like any of that stuff. First: it was softer then most refined silk that the princess had ever encountered before. She give it a firm pull, and she surprise that it felt strong, stronger then most rope that she known. She looked back at the leaf pillow and notice there was some more pieces of silk. Quickly a plan formed in the mini ruler's head, and she set to work. Within a couple minutes, Peach had the leaf blanket wrapped around the pillow, tied together with the silk, and using the silk to make makeshift holding strip, allowing the princess to the carry the makeshift sleeping bag easily.

She couldn't help but giggle slightly as she imagined how silly she looked with the thing on her back. "This would be some story to tell the residents of the kingdom," she said in a lighthearted tone.

With that task out of the way, the small princess turned her attention to the next matter at hand. Where she going to go from here? She looked around, trying to decide where to go next. She began walking trying to see if she could get her bearings. That's when she saw it, from the corner of her left eye. It was some sort of sign craved into the tree itself. She walked up to it and read what it had to say.

"…Toad-craft village, north of here. Huh?" Peach frowned as she didn't recognize the village's name.

She looked in the direction the sign was pointing, wondering about this village. She thought it over for moment, and decided it was her best bet at the time. She began walking in the direction of the sign, hoping that someone in the village might be willing to help her out. As she ventured into the giant woods, our mini ruler was unaware of the shadow that was following close behind him.

Peach has been traveling from nearly 12 minutes, and was still in awe of what she saw. Now that the shock of her whole shrinking ordeal had pass, she couldn't help but marvel at the sights. Everything looked so different when you looked at from smaller eyes. It made her realize that despite being a princess she was just one small person in a large world.

_Being small really makes one thing about their place in world,_ Peach thought in wonder.

The shrunken princess suddenly stopped her body tensing. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was being watched. She looked around, and only saw the forest, stretching out around her. She didn't dare move though, the advice or her old wideness survivor teacher coming to the surface.

'_Remember if corner by a wild animal, try not the move. Most animal in the Mushroom Kingdom follow moment very closely_'

So the shrunken blonde beauty stayed put, trying to see if there was anything to confirm her paranoia. She stayed like that nearly two and half minutes before relaxing. She took a deep breath and let out slowly. Maybe she hasn't come to term with her new size like she first thought. She took another breath and sigh slowly before starting her travels again.

_SNAP!_

Peach froze when she heard the sound of a wood snapping, directly behind her. She faintly heard someone or something coming up behind her. She turned out, eyes wide, and let out a piercing scream that reached to the far ends of the forest, despite her current size.

(…)

Mario came to a stop when he thought he heard a scream that sounded like it came from the princess. He looked to his right, where the Lost Forest was located, tilting head slightly to the left. Did he really just hear Princess Peach scream? He shook his head quickly as he realized he must be imaging things. The Princess was currently a prisoner of Bowser, waiting to be rescued. The Mushroom Kingdom's savior give his head another quick shake before heading on his way.

The red plumber was currently on the road, near the Lost Forest, hurrying to get to the Koopa King's new fortress and save the day like usual. He was surprise, however, that even though he was using the main road, there wasn't much trouble from Bowser's army, which was unusual, considering this was Bowser we're talking about. He's not widely known for his tactics, or his smooth planning. In fact, the Koopa King was as smooth as brick in a sinking sink. He found it weird that he hasn't meant any of Bowser's men yet.

"Hey, dat's Mario over dere!" Someone said in a Brooklyn accent.

"Let's rough him up real good!" Someone else said in a New Jersey accent.

Mario let a heavy sigh as two hammers brother came into view. He knew it was too good to last. The red plumber frowned lightly when he noticed what the hammer brothers were wearing. One hammer brother had a green shirt with the letter L crossed out, and a matching helmet. The second hammer brother was dressed similarly; the only difference was that he was dressed in red with the letter M crossed out. It didn't take much thought to who the hammer bros were supposed to be.

"Yo, Red-O, if dat's Mario, if we ice him, we could score some sweets brownie points with King Bowser," the green hammer bro said in a Brooklyn accent.

"Let's just stop this yanking and get to the roughing him up, Green-D?" Red-O said in Jersey accent, pounding his hammer against the palm of his hand.

Mario scrawled slightly. Not only were a couple of hammer brothers saying they were better then Luigi and himself, but they were also dimwitted to boot. That was just…insulting.

Mario got into a battle stance, and reached for his trusty hammer. He froze when he couldn't find it in the usual, mysterious spot he keeps it. He let out a silent gasp as he realized that, in his haste, he forgotten it at the house. Unfortunately, the so-called dimwitted hammer bros noticed his hesitation.

Red-O attacked first charging in and swinging his hammer. Mario jumped up, easily dodging the thrust, only to be knocked back when Green-D threw his hammer at him. Red-O then jumped up and with a mighty hammer swing to the stomach, sent the Mushroom Kingdom's savior to the ground.

Red-O landed front of Mario as Green-D joined him. Both looked at the down plumber, grins spouting on their ugly mugs.

"Dey fell for it all de time," Green-D said variously.

"Yes, just add like a fool, and they all yours," Red-O agreed, slinging his hammer over his shoulder.

Mario realized, all too late, that he has been played. These hammer brothers fooled him, and what was more embarrassing, was that he fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. Luckily, he wasn't without his own ace in the hole. He slowly reached for his right pocket as the H-Bros raised their hammers, ready for the killing blow. They swing down hard, and dust was kicked up from the blow, covering the three. When the dust cloud settled, the brothers were surprise to find their target unharmed, swallowing a 1-UP mushroom, while having caught both hammer in each hand. He did one of his super jumps, taking both hammers with him. He landed behind the H-bros, and charged at them. With a mighty, double hammer swing, he sent the two H-bros flying.

Mario grinned as he pocketed the one hammer and threw the other one to the ground. He was about to head on his way, when he realized something. He looked around but couldn't find the object or person he was looking for.

"…Luigi?" Mario asked curiously.

(…)

And where is the younger, yet taller brother, you ask? Well, he was limbering behind Mario, of course. He looked over his shoulder, and to his charring, could see Peach's castle. He sighed heavily, and patted his right pocket, wondering if he should take the 1-UP mushroom to give him a boost. He decided against it, as he may need it later.

"Huh?" Luigi looked up when heard a faint whistling noise.

The green cloth plumber gasped when he saw something felling from the sky at a rapid pace. He tried to move, but it was too little to late. With a comedic splat, the two H-Bros that Mario sent flying just a few seconds ago, landed right on top of Luigi. This caused his 1-UP mushroom to go flying from him and rolled down the road. Luigi let out a faint moan just before fainting.

(…)

Peach was stunned motionless. In front of her was the largest Goomba she had ever seen. Of course, it could have been a normal size goomba, but to the mini ruler, he might have well been over 12 feet tall. But she quickly noticed something different about this goomba.

While most Goombas are brown with a pale yellow lower half, with fangs sticking out from the bottom of their mouths, this was one didn't have any of that. Instead, his upper body was a metallic silver, and his lower half is a dull gray. Also, his mouth was noticeable smaller, and has only one fang, sticking out from the top right corner of its mouth. The edges of the Goomba were rough, giving it a sort of dangerous image. The last and probably most disturbing figure on this Goomba was his eyes. He didn't have any, giving him an undead sort of image.

The Goombas continue to 'stare' at the princess, who at the moment was fighting with all of her might to keep herself conscious. The size and the disturbing image was enough to scare the small princess down to her core. All she wanted to do was passed out, but found herself lacking the energy to do so.

Suddenly, the goomba started to move closer to the shrunken blonde-beauty, and Peach found the energy to do more then faint. With a quick scream, she turned on her heels, and ran for it, lifting her skirt up slightly to avoiding tripping over it. Unfortunately, the goomba give chase, stepping causally, but staying close to the small princess due the difference in size.

Peach dared not to look back, knowing that the giant creature was following by the sound behind her. And to make matter worse, she believed that it was gaining on her. She could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck, and it sent shivers down her spine. She made a hard left, trying to trip up the goomba. She looked over her shoulder and to her shock, watched as the mushroom like creature use it rim to absorb the impact, and make the turn. She turned her attention back to the front, and pushed herself just a little harder.

It was clear this goomba was trained by someone other then Bowser or his loyal followers. Most of Bowser's plans are just having his forces attack in large numbers, hoping to ware his enemy down. But this one was different, the princess realized. He was trained in battle, and other various things. This in itself was a very scary thought; one that made Peach ran that much faster.

The small princess suddenly tripped over something, crying out as she landed face first in the ground. She looked at her right ankle, feeling it with her hand. It wasn't broken, which was good. Unfortunately, in that belief time, the goomba had caught up with her, and was staring down at her intensely.

Peach stared up at the giant creature, once more finding herself using all of her strength to keep herself awake. She was afraid that the goomba would probably think of her as a snack and try to eat her. Suddenly she felt something appear in the back of her head.

"_Fight, young princess, fight!"_

Peach gasped when she heard the voice in her head. Fight, its said, like it was that easy. She wasn't really a fighter, and facing a creature of such size, she doubt that she could do much harm to it. Again, the voice spoke to her, this time sounding more urgent then before.

"_If you don't fight, then you might never found out how to get back to normal!"_

Peach gasped as she heard those words. Maybe she was going crazy from all that was happening to her, but if there was a chance to get back to normal, she had to take it. So, with new resolve, the mini ruler stood, ready to fight.

The Goomba made the first move, trying to take a bit of the princess. Peach surprise herself by doing a powerful jump, clearing the creature's head completely. She landed hard on the Goomba, harder then she thought possible with her current size and weight. She bounce off the Goomba and nearly lost control of herself. Luckily, her skirt opened up, catching a small drift of air, and slowing her just enough that she kept in control. Becoming lost in the moment, Peach close her skirt, allowing herself to fall, and land another blow on the Goomba.

The Goomba, unfortunately, was able to shake off the blow, and the small princess. Peach able to land elegantly and quickly readied herself. The Goomba charged in, trying to hit the shrunken blonde beauty with all of it's weight. Peach cart wheeled to the right, avoiding the blow, and causing the silver goomba to run into a tree that was behind the princess. The goomba was dazed for the moment, and Peach used this to her end. She jumped over the creature, and slammed all of her weight down on the goomba.

The goomba suddenly shake, knocking the princess off. Peach was able to land on her feet, and watched as the creature seemingly dissolved into the ground, disappearing completely. The princess knew that due to an enchantment, that when a goomba or Koopa Troopa is defeated, they are teleported to a chamber in one of Bowser's fortress to return to normal.

The shrunken blonde beauty suddenly fell to her knees, panting heavily. She looked at the spot where the goomba dissolved, somewhat in shock. She couldn't believe it, she did it. She actually beat up a goomba without any help! She couldn't help but feel a little proud at the moment.

The mini ruler let out a light sigh as she took a seat, catching her breath. As she calmed down from all of the excitement, one question popped into her mind. Was the voice she had heard real or did she just imagined it? If it was real then maybe there was hope for her yet. She didn't allow herself to think about any other possibility.

Peach took a one last calming breath before standing up. She looked around, and spotted another sign. She walked up to it, and notice that it said that Toad-Craft Village about a mile and half away. The mini ruler frowned, something telling her that something wasn't right with that sign. She really couldn't have made that far in such a short time. Still, what choice do she has at the moment? So, with ah uncharacteristic shrug of her shoulders, the shrunken blonde beauty turned in the direction the sign was pointing.

"Wait!" a young voice called.

Startled, the princess turned to her right and watched as a teenage toad came into view. The appearance of the toad was just as startling as his sudden appearance. While most toads have white tops with red spots, this toad have a blue top with green spots. Instead of a vest, which most of the toads wear, this one wore a full body jacket, which was the color of tree bark. The young toad's eyes were silver, and shine with caution as he stared at the small princess.

Peach, for her part, put on a kind, and comforting smile. She tried to get closer to the toad, and in turn the youngest took a step back, keeping the gap between them wide. This cause a frown to cross the shrunken blonde's lip for a second, before she smiled again. She held out her right hand in a welcoming, friendly gesture.

"Hello, who are you?" the princess asked kindly.

"…Toad-Lee," the toad said cautiously after a moment of pause.

"Well, hello, Toad-Lee," Peach said politely. "I'm Princess Peach. Are you from-?"

Before the mini ruler could go any farther, the young toad's eyes suddenly snapped open in fear, and he turned away from the princess, jumping into the trees. Startled, the princess ran up to the spot where Toad-Lee was, and looked for him. Unfortunately, with that coat he was wearing, the toad was completely hidden from view.

"Why did you fight that enforcer?" Toad-Lee asked curiously, his voice ringing out from everywhere.

Peach frown curiously at this odd question. "Well, it was attacking me, and I was afraid for my life."

There was an awkward silence, and the shrunken blonde thought she saw movement from the corner of her left eye.

"But why would that enforcer attack you? You sent them to my village to keep us under your control," Toad-Lee said, his voice a mix of angry and sadness. "It's because of you that I lost my mother!"

Peach gasp, a mix look of terror and sorrow on her face. Suddenly things became clear to her. That goomba was put here as some sort of enforcer, terrorizing a poor Toads village, one that she didn't even know about. And to make it worse, whoever was controlling the goomba was using her as a figure head, making it look like she was the one behind it all. She could feel tears, threatening to fall at any moment, but wiped them away. When she next spoke, she kept her voice calm and even.

"I would never do anything like that. I don't lead the Goomba tribes. In fact; it only if I need to do I fight. I actually detest fighting all together. So please, you have to believe me that I have nothing to do with attacking your village!"

The mini ruler was only meant with the silence of the forest. It was clear the toad was long gone, and that made the shrunken blonde that much more sad, tears were once more threatening to fell from her eyes. She let out a mute sigh as a single tear fell. She was about to leave the area, when suddenly Toad-Lee jumped down in front of her, startling her slightly. What was more startling was the top on the toad's head. It was now the color of tree bark, and as she looked on, it faded back to it original colors.

Toad-Lee started at the princess, clearing sizing her up. Peach stood her ground, content that she had nothing to hide from the teenage toad. After a moment, Toad-Lee's eyes give from to confusion and curiosity.

"…You're really telling the truth, aren't you?" the toad said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Peach tried to put on a comforting smile, to try and reinsure the toad of her clam, but it came out more sheepish then she intended. Toad-Lee looked away, uncertainty written all over his face. Peach frowned at this, and tried to once again get closer. The teenager noticed this, eyes widening in fear, and took a few steps back, trying to keep the distance between them wide.

Peach was taken aback again, but quickly shrugged it off, and try to put on a comforting smile again. "Please, I'm not trying to hurt you. I just want some help, that's all," the princess said, keeping her voice gentle.

Uncertainly entered into the teenage toad's eyes again, but this time he didn't look away. He looked deeply into the sincere eyes of the princess, and could find no evil in them. He let out a faint sigh, and silently turned around. He gesture for the princess to follow, and began walking. Without much of a choice, the small princess followed, uncertainly now filling her.

(…)

M: Just to clear this up, yes, I'm going to be doing a lot of Luigi's gag, but I'm not a Luigi busher, I just think he fun to mass with.


	3. Tytants and the Village in th Woods

Paper Mario:

Peach's Small Adventure

Prolong Part two:

Tyrants and the Village in the Woods

Mario stepped cautiously, keeping his eyes on the look out for any more surprises. He had reached Bowser's latest fortress nearly 23 minutes ago, and since that time, he had ran into a bunch of the Koopa King's usual forces. He had taken care of them in quick fashion, but like all of Bowser's lairs, this one was packed to the top with Bowser's army.

The red plumber suddenly looked up, hearing a familiar sound. He gasped lightly when he saw a thwomp dropped from the ceiling. He dashed forward, barely dodging the stone-like creature by a hair. Mario ran faster as he heard more thwomps coming from the ceiling. He barely avoided by stomped on three times before reaching safety. He looked back and sighed in relief, glad to be out of that mass. He turned around, and was about to continue onwards, when he heard another noise. He looked around the narrow hall but couldn't fine anything but the thwomps he just passed. The floor beneath him suddenly shook and he dove out of the way just a thwomp, hidden beneath the floor, came bursting through said floor.

Mario got into a crouching position, ready for anymore surprises. He relaxed when he realized that he was finally out of danger. He pressed on, more alert then before, watching for more surprises. Five minutes later, Mario found himself near the center of the fortress, forcing many goomba, koopa troopas, and other of Bowser's forces on the way. During that time Mario had found a fire flower, and was currently powered-up to fire mode, ready to face the Koopa King.

He moved toward the giant doors, where Bowser no doubt was, ready for the final showdown. He suddenly stopped as he heard the loud voice of his archenemies, coming through the door. Growing curious, at the king's heated words, the plumber lean in closer, trying to hear what was being said.

"…This is all your fault, Kammy koopa!" Bowser roared angrily.

"Yes, you're ugliness, it's my fault, all my fault," the Magikoopa replied humbly. "Umm, what did I do wrong, your wickedness?"

Mario heard the loud growl of Bowser, and something that sounded like an object shattering on the floor.

"You told me to take that hunk of junk, and looks where it got me!" Bowser roared angrily. "I lost Princess Peach because of YOU!"

Mario gasped when he heard this, and without thinking, blow the door open with a powerful fireball. The currently white and red plumber stepped out from smoke his attack created, a look of anger on his face as he charged up another fireball. Bowser and Kammy Koopa were clearly stunned by the sudden appearance of their hated enemy. Both were looking at Mario, mouths hanging open. Behind the Magikoopa was a destroy bust of the Koop King. That didn't interest the enrage plumber at the moment; his entire attention was on Bowser.

The dragon-like creature quickly recovered and scrawled as he glare dagger at his hated enemy. "Get lost, you pesky plumber! I'm not in the mood to beat you dow-"

Browser never finished his sentence as a fireball was slammed into his face. His thick skin absorbed most of the blow, leaving him seriously tacked off. He let out a mighty roar, and charged at Mario, flames flowing from his mouth. Out of habit, Kammy Koopa cast a quick spell, causing her master to grow to twice his normal size, and then exited quickly.

Mario jumped up, doing a summersault over Bowser as he threw some fireballs, aiming for a weak spot near the right shoulder blade. He gasped when he saw fireballs bounce off of the well known weak spot. Bowser took this time to spin around on his heel, and throw his own fire at the stunned savior. Mario was unable to dodge the blow, taking it full force, and loosing his fire flower power. He was knocked to the ground, the wind also knocked out of him.

"BWAAHAHAH!" Bowser laughed as he walked over to the down plumber. "You didn't think I would be dumb enough not cover a spot you used on me, like a million times?"

He then tried to stomp on Mario's head with all of his weight. Mario rolled to his right at the last moment, and jumped to his feet, causing Bowser to nearly trip when he smashed a hole in the floor. Mario use this to his advantage and jumped on Bowser's other weak spot, his head. The Koopa King groan lightly as he felt his size diminish slightly from the blow, but that allowed him to free his leg. He turned to face Mario and charged, letting out another angry roar. He spun around, trying to hit Mario with a tail swipe. The Mushroom Kingdom's savior somersaulted over the tail, and took out a spring from his hammer space pocket. He slammed it down onto the ground, and the spring caused him rocketed into the air. Doing a mid-air flip, Mario was able to land on Bowser's head once more, causing him to shrink just a little more.

Bowser glared at Mario as he landed on the ground, and readied himself for another attack. The Koopa King let out a fierce roar and once more charged. Mario took out his hammer, and waited for the right moment to strike. Suddenly, an explosion drew both fighters' attention to the wall behind Bowser. Bowser turned around, and with Mario, watched as two unusual Koopa Troopas entered into the hole that was just created.

The thing that stand out the most about these creature were their size, they were twice the size of normal Koopa Troopas. Their bodies were a stone gray, and their shells where a pale red. The shells also had jagged edges, and they have sharp claws on their hands. Their faces were pointed beaks and they both had rolls of sharp teeth.

Bowser growled angrily as he took a step forward, clearly displeased with having his latest battle with Mario interrupted. "You two, how dare get in the way of me smashing that pesky plumber!"

Mario glared at the Koopa king quickly before turning his attention back to the new arrivals. Something told the red plumber that there was something wrong here. Bowser was screaming at the top of his lungs, getting close to the two, and yet all they did was stand there. He tightened his grab on his hammer, all of his instinct telling him to be ready.

Bowser, on the other hand, was nearly lost in his rage. No one under his rule had ever disobeyed him before. And now here they stand, two upstarts, daring to do just that. It was enough to send the Koopa King into a mad rage, which what happened when the Troopas didn't answer him. He let out an angry roar, and charged.

That's when things got weird. One of Koopa Troopa jumped on the other, and the one on the ground jumped up. The troopa on the top then sent his friend at Bowser with a mighty kick. The koopa king was unprepared from the sudden attack, and was knocked down when the creature slammed into him. This caused the last of the enlarging spell to wear off, turning Bowser back to his normal size. The second, still air-born, troopa attacked next; withdrawing into his shell, and landing on Bowser's stomach. He let out pain-riddle cry as strange troopa rolled off of him.

The two troopas joined together, ready to finish off Bowser. They raise their left arms, claws flashing, ready for the kill. The two were nearly knocked down when a red blur tackled them. When they pulled themselves together, they found Mario standing in front of his swore enemy, hammer at the ready. If they were shocked by this turn of events, they didn't show it. Instead, they just prepare themselves for their combo attack.

One Troopa got onto of the other, and then the bottom Troopa jumped high into the air. Mario, having seen this attack once, knew how to counter it. He jumped up, closely following the unusual Koopa troopas. He swings his hammer up, knocking the Troopa that was just lunch right back into his friend, sending both of them to the ground. The red plumber landed in front of the Koopa King, and readied himself for the next attack.

Bowser finally recovered from the earlier attack, and jumped to his feet. He was about to attack Mario when he saw that he was busy fighting the Troopas that dare defile him. He frowned as he become conflicted. On one hand, he had the prefect chance to finish Mario off once and for all. On the other hand, however, he couldn't let those who defile him go. His frown deepens slightly as his head started to hurt from all this thinking.

Suddenly, he saw Mario get knocked down, and the two Troopas advancing on the red plumbers, claws twitching. He growled slightly, growing angry again. He was the only one allowed to crush the pesky plumber, and to have a couple of lowly troopas take him down was just insulting.

So, with a nasty taste in his mouth, the Koopa King decided to help his hated enemy.

The two unusual Troopas were about ready to finish Mario off when a fireball suddenly knocked them back. Stunned, Mario looked up as Bowser joined him. He glared down at his hated enemy.

"Don't get any ideas. I'm the only one that could crush you, got it?" Bowser said coldly.

Mario just let out a mute sigh, and stood up, joining his hated enemy in fighting their common foe. The Koopa Troopas recovered quickly, as they have been doing this entire fight, and readied themselves for the next battle.

A fierce glaring match began, both sides, looking for the first opening to the start the next attack.

(…)

Peach flinch slightly as she saw Toad-Lee turned his head slightly, and looked at her from the corner of his right eye. He has been doing that every since he been guiding the mini ruler to his village, like he was expecting her to do something at any minute. This made her a bit uncomfortable. She kept her distance, however, to prove that she wasn't what he thought she was.

Unfortunately, the silence was also starting to get to her. To her, the eerie calm that surrounded the teenage toad was unbearable. The shrunken blonde tried to talk to him several times during their walk, but never found the words that fitted the most. Plus, having the young toad looked at her in such a manner was making it harder for the small princess to think.

She let out a light sigh and looked around. The shrunken blonde frown lightly as she took in her surroundings. It all looked the same to her, so she couldn't tell if they were going around in a circle or not. Plus she didn't see a sort of markings, making this it seem like they were going around in circles.

"…We put signs up to fool any unwelcome guests who comes our way," Peach nearly jumped when she heard the cold voice of Toad-Lee.

The startled princess looked at her guide, but found him facing forward. She frowned as she felt the silence of her surroundings got heavier. She couldn't take it anymore, and decided to try talking to the mysterious toad. She got closer, but left a wide enough gap to stay within the Toad's safety zone.

"…Umm, were you the one who made me that camp site?" Peach asked uncomfortably.

Toad-Lee was silence, making the shrunken beauty that much more uncomfortable. She let out a faint sigh as she fell behind, disheartened as this latest turn of events. She didn't like that she couldn't get the teenage toad to open up. She wanted to know more about his village, and about whoever was using her as a figurehead to terrorize these pool souls.

"…my mom always told me never to turn away from someone in need," Toad-Lee said coldly, once more startling the princess out of her thought.

The mini ruler looked at her guide, and noticed that he was staring at her from the corner of his left eye, uncertainly shinning deeply in it. It was that looked that made the small princess that more disheartened. She knew that some part of the young toad didn't trust her due to someone using her image against his village.

"But if I knew it was the tyrant Peach I was helping, I weren't have done it at all," the toad's voice become slightly colder as he talked, making the princess that much more uncomfortable.

When she next spoke, she tried to keep the uncertainly and doubt she was feeling from her voice. "But you believed that I have nothing to do with what's happening to your village, right?"

Toad-Lee chooses this time to return to silence and turned his attention back forward. Peach frowned, deep in thought. Maybe she imaged it, but it seemed like the teenage toad's eyes lit up for second. She didn't have time to think about it much, as Toad-Lee suddenly stopped. He completely looked at Peach, a thoughtful glaze lining his eyes.

"…We're about to enter into my village, but before that, I believe we should do something to hide your face," the young toad said cautiously.

Then, without waiting for a reply, the teenager did an impressive leap, landing on a tree. The shocked princess watched as her guide made impressive leaps, reaching the lowest tree branch without much trouble. He then gathered some leaves, and returned to the ground, to the still stunned princess.

"Lean down," Toad-lee said gently.

Still a little stunned from the amaze feet she witnessed, the small ruler silently lean down, and Toad-Lee proceeded to get to work. Within a minute and half, the teenage toad had used the leaves he collected to make a makeshift hood, covering the princess's head and most of her shoulders. Toad-Lee nodded, pleased with his work. He then turned around and took out a leaf shape crystal.

The princess watched curiously as the toad lifted the object over his head, and it shimmered slightly. Peach gasped when she saw the empty area in front of her started to waver, and a faint image begin to take shape. Soon, the vale that covered it was gone, and the mini ruler could see Toad-Craft village. Toad-Lee pocketed the crystal, and looked at the princess.

"…Let's go see my father, he might be able to help," the teenage toad said coldly, and then walked into the village, with the princess following close behind.

Peach looked around the village, taking in everything in. Toad-Craft village was in a sense the biggest, littlest village she has ever seen. There were many buildings everywhere some where even was nailed into the trees. There were also many toads, colored like her guide, most were working on different projects, most made out of wood.

She frowned lightly when she noticed that there were small dog-size beetles around the place, some even helping out the toads. These beetles didn't look much difference the beetles that the princess had encountered before, expect for the horn. It was longer then most normal beetles, and has a sharp point, coming out from under the horn.

Peach looked at her guide about to inquire about the beetles, when something caught her eye. It looked like a wanted poster, only it had a picture of her on it. She got closer and studied it. The picture showed her with a small beak-like mouth, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The picture also showed her with snake-like, fork tongue, hanging out from a gap in the mouth. Finally, the picture show the princess with her hand up in menacing way, like it was going to grabbed someone at any moment.

The picture was clearly outdated; it showed her with red hair.

Peach frowned as she thought back to that moment in her life. When she was younger, she used to dye her hair read as part of a disguise when she wanted to take a day off from being a princess. Unfortunately, the disguise wasn't very good, most toads saw through it, but pretended they didn't know who this "red haired" stranger was. Even more unfortunate was when Bowser wasn't fooled by it, and captured Peach during one of her outings.

It amazed her that someone would be confused by this poster at all. The picture only has a passing resemblance to her

"…Don't stare," Toad-Lee cautioned. "Don't give the villager any reason to suspect you. Just keep moving."

Toad-Lee then moved on, leaving the princess behind. Peach looked at the poster one last time before hurrying after the teenager. Soon the two come to a house labeled "Lee family crafts" on the top of the door. The small princess looked at her guide, wondering what the young toad was thinking. Toad-Lee, from his part, remained quiet as he entered into the house. Peach followed, wondering what she was going to find inside this store.

(…)

Mario and Bowser were panting like crazy, sweat cover their brows. At their feet, the two Koopa Troopas that had interrupted their latest fight, defeated, and dissolving due to the enchantment on them. The fight was harder then they had expected, taking their shared of bruises, but in the end they have won.

Bowser turned to Mario, readied to finish the fight that was so rudely interrupted. Mario, on the other hand, had a different idea in mind. He looked at his rival, eyes shinning with message. Bowser somehow understood what the plumber was saying, and this made him all that madder.

"What, you're leaving?" the lizard-like creature roared angrily. "What about me pounding you into the ground?"

Mario give his rival another silent message, and one that made Bowser nearly crazy with rage.

"What do you mean, with no Peach here there's no reason to fight me!" Bowser roared angrily. "That's just insulting!"

Mario chose not to answer his rival, and turned to leave, ready to begin his search for Princess Peach. Bowser watched as his archenemy walked towards the door, his anger growing with each passing second. He suddenly smiled as an idea came to him.

"Wait, you pesky plumber!" Bowser called, causing said plumber to stop and looked at him curiously. "Kammy, get your ugly face in here, now!"

Hearing the call, the female Magikoopa soared into the room on her brow stick. Mario readied himself as he watched the Koopa fly over to her master. Once Kammy was by her master side, The Koopa King looked at the plumber, grinning like a mad man.

"Say, plumber, why don't we change things up, and I help you out?" Bowser suggested in an eerie friendly tone.

This surprised everyone in the room, causing Mario to gawk at his rival, and Kammy to look at her master like he had gone mad. Bowser, for his part, kept on grinning, as he approached his rival.

"Just here me out," Bowser said casually. "I know where I dropped the princess, and with me around, it a sure thing she will be found in no time."

Mario frowned, crossed his arms over his chest, and titled his head slightly to the right. While he had worked with Bowser before, most times had ended up being double crossed by him. On the other hand, Bowser power would come in handy in tight spots. Plus with the rouge Koopa Troopas, ones that not even the King of the Koopas knew of, things were probably going to get worse before better. And with Luigi nowhere to found, Mario didn't want go up against a new enemy without a least a little back up.

So, though it went against his better judgment, Mario looked at Bowser and nodded his head at the Koopa King's plan. Bowser grinned a little more at this.

"Good, now if you give me a minute, I need to talk with Kammy," Bowser said in a surprisingly soft order, and looked at the Magikoopa.

From the corner of his eye, he could see that the plumber wasn't moving, and whispered an order to Kammy. The Magikoopa looked at the plumber, and with a quick wave of her wand, cast a powerful wind spell, sending Mario out the door. Another quick spell and the door were closed, leaving the two alone.

"Now, Kammy, I want you to do something while I out with the pesky plumber," Bowser said, looking at his loyal servant.

"Beg your pardon, you're wickedness, but HAVE YOU LAST YOUR MIND?" the Magikoopa screamed questioningly. "Working with the plumber?"

Bowser just laughed at his servant sudden outburst, and then said," Don't worry your ugly little head off, Kammy; I'm just using that plumber. He would run himself into the ground looking for the princess, and when he finds her, I will smash him one and for all!"

"Oh…" Kammy said, eyes lighting up. "I see. Brilliant, your wickedness, simply brilliant!"

"BWAHAHAHA!" Bowser laughed heartedly. "Of course it is I thought it up. Now, while I'm gone, I want you to look into this; found out whom planning a mutiny in my army. Understand?"

The female Magikoopa nodded, and without another word, soar away, eager to finish her mission and please her master. Bowser grinned to himself and walked up to the door. He opened and found an angry Mario, arms crossed over his chest, and glaring up at his rival. Bowser, form his part, just lightly, but somewhat rudely, shaved Mario out of his way. He began walking down the hall, stopping just to look his shoulder at Mario.

"C'mon, you pesky plumber! The princess will be old by the time you get your rear in gear," the Koopa king called tauntingly and then resumed walking.

Mario scrawled angrily as he began following his nemesis, arms still crossed over his chest. He was already regretting working with the Koopa King, but at the moment, didn't have much of a choice. He just hoped that this doesn't turn out like the last few times he teamed up with Bowser.

Mario knew better, however, and would be ready for when Bowser pulled his usual stunt. Until that time comes, however, he was glad for the extra power.

(…)

Peach was in awe at the sights she saw when she entered into the store. It was filled with various items, all made out of some kind of blue crystal. She walked up to a clock, located close to the right of the door, and studied it. It has a simple wood frame with a thin, transparent blue crystal as the clock center. The numbers had been carefully craved out, with the numbers detailed to the fullest.

"Pa! Can you come here, please?" Toad-Lee called into the back of the store, drawing the Princess's attention.

Peach watched as an adult took came out from the back of the store. He looked a lot like his son, expect from his outfit and eyes. His eye were the standard toad's black, and his outfit was a green vest under an apron. The princess also notice light wrinkles around the toad's eyes.

"Now who do we have here, son?" the older toad asked kindly, addressing the princess.

Peach suddenly became hesitant to give her name, remembering the poster she saw just a few minutes ago. Luckily, Toad-Lee saw this and acted.

"Pa, maybe we should take this into the back?" the Teenage toad suggested politely.

"…Okay," the elder toad replied awkwardly.

The three then retreated into the back of the store, where many tools and items were store. Peach might have looked at these items if she wasn't so nervous at the moment. Toad-Lee closed the door to insure no interruption, and then joined the princess at her side. The older toad leaned up against a table near the right of door, penitently waiting for his son and mysterious guest.

Toad-Lee took a breath and looked at his father. "Pa, I know you'll find this hard to believe, but this person is Princess Peach."

The princess, at the mention of her name, took down her leaf hood, so the older toad could get a good look at her. The toad craft man cocked an eyebrow as he looked at the supposed princess.

"…Doesn't look anything like the picture," the toad craft-man said offhandedly.

Peach found herself quickly putting her hood back over her head, to hide the heavy blush that was quickly forming all over her face, from that little mistake of youth. The elder toad couldn't help but chuckle slightly as the flatter person in front of him.

"Pa, I know this is hard to believe, but this is really princess Peach, and she fought an enforcer, an enforcer that she's supposed to have sent herself," Toad-Lee said, trying to plead his case.

Craftsman-Lee just chuckled and pushed off of his leaning post. He walked up to his son and put a comforting hand on the younger toad's shoulder.

"Son, you're a very good judge of character, so if you say she who she claims to be, and is a good person, that's good enough for me," Craftsman-Lee told his son comfortingly.

This small complaint caused the younger toad to break out in a small, bright smile. Craftsman-Lee smiled back at his son, and then turned to the princess, his face turning serious.

"Now, young miss, what can I do for you?" the older toad asked seriously.

"…umm, Well, when I heard what happening in your village, I couldn't just let it go," Peach replied hesitantly, drawing back her hood.

Craftsman-Lee nodded, stroking his chin lightly. "I believe I can piece the rest together. You want to clear your name, right?"

"Actually, no," the mini ruler replied truthfully.

This seemed to surprise the Lee family. Craftsman-Lee had his left eyebrow raised, while his son had his mouth hanging open slightly. Peach put up her hood once again, trying to hide the deep blush that forming on her cheeks. Despite being a public figure, loved by all, the princess was still a little awkward around people, especially when someone stared at her.

"…Well, I can't stand it when people are suffering," Peach said after composing herself. "I don't care that someone is using my image, all I want to do is find out who is causing you and your village friends this pain and put a stop it."

Craftsman-Lee, recovered now, nodded his understand, and studied the princess. "Well, I can tell you're honest about this. But if you're serious, you might want to try and travel a little more discreetly. People in these parts don't care much for uppers, even if they currently their size."

_Uppers…_ Peach thought, frowning slightly.

She watched as the craftsman walked over to a workbench, looking for something, mattering to himself. The princess looked at her new friend, hoping for some kind of answer. The teenage toad, however, instead walked over to his father and joined him in his search, leaving the shrunken blonde confused. About a minute and half minutes later, the Lee family walked over to the waiting princess.

"You hair wouldn't be a problem, but your outfit would draw to much attention, so use this," Craftsman-Lee said kindly, holding out a simple bracelet.

Peach took the item in her left hand and looked it over. The bracelet had a simple design; it was mainly gold with no decoration on it, expect for a small run carving on the inside of the item. In the center was a simple square crystal, just like the one that was in the clock she saw earlier. She looked at the item's creator, hoping for some insight. Craftsman-Lee just chuckle slightly from the princess confused look.

"That's Silk-beetle crystal you're holding," the older toad said proudly.

"…Silk-beetle," Peach repeated softly, looking at said crystal inquiringly.

Craftsman-Lee just chuckled lightly, and said," I will I shouldn't be surprise that an upper wouldn't know what a Silk-beetle is. Bebe, c'mon here, girl."

Peach frowned as the crafting toad used that word again. She knew it wasn't an insult or anything in the line. Still…she couldn't help but feel a little insulted by it. It made her sound like some sort of snobby upper-class-type person, and she worked very hard to discredit that image.

The shrunken blonde's attention was drawn elsewhere when a beetle came into view. Peach frowned slightly when she noticed that this one was a little different then the ones she saw on the way over to the store. First starters, this beetle was a little bigger, coming up over the princess's knees, while the other below her knees. The only other difference that she saw was the wing coverings. The other beetles she saw had shell that match their gray bodies, but this one's shell around the wings were blue, the same shade as the crystals she been seeing lately.

"This is Bebe, my other prize, next to my son," Craftsman-Lee explained proudly.

From the corner of her eye, the small princess thought she saw a hint of red on her friend's face. She chose to file in the back of her mind for the moment and focus on the older Lee member.

"Because they're so small, most uppers wouldn't notice them. Plus, they don't venture far from forest," Craftsman-Lee explained. "At this time, most beetles are still young, but grown ones like Bebe here have two special talents. Bebe! Time to spin!"

The older toad snapped his fingers in a unique way, and the beetle responded to this. Peach watched as it open it wings, and she noticed that the beetle didn't have any wings. Suddenly, a strange but pleasant humming sound filled the air. It only took a moment for the princess to realize that Bebe was making that noise. Her eyes widen slightly when she saw silk shoot from the beetles back, entwining around grooves hidden beneath the shell. Once the shell was filled, Bebe shook slightly, causing the silk to fall to the ground. The Silk-beetle continued this for about a minute and a half, creating enough silk to make three fine dresses.

Curious, Peach walked up to the pile, and took a small piece of silk in her free hand. It was the same silk that she used to tie her leaf sleeping bag. She looked at the beetle, amazed at it skills, only to frown when she notice something odd. She had closed her shell again, and was shaking, really bad. Peach was about to ask if someone was wrong when she saw that Bebe had shed the shell that cover her wings space.

Suddenly it became clear. The silk-beetles produce both fine silk and crystals. That was probably how this village lives, even with the villagers being so small. But what does this have to do with making a disguise, the princess wonder. Luckily, the older Lee took this time to fill in the blanks.

"Not only do Silk-beetles create silk, but the crystals they shed after that contain a powerful magic, which we have named Flow-magic," Craftsman-Lee explained kindly. "As I learn it can be use for most anything, if it simple enough. I mainly use them to power my clocks, but I also know their can be use differently depending on the user."

Peach put the silk she was holding back into the pile and stare at the bracelet in her other hand. She didn't doubt the older toad's word, but that still leaves her with one small question. How is that simple item going to help her make a disguise so she didn't draw to much attention?

"If you're wondering, just slip on the bracelet, think about changing you're clothes and press lightly on the face of the crystal," Craftsman-Lee said, his voice turning sly.

Peach looked up at the toad, confusion written all over her face. Still, she wasn't about to doubt someone who show her kindness during her time of need.

The mini ruler slipped the bracelet onto her right wrist and thought for a minute. She wanted something causal, an outfit that didn't draw attention to herself. She closed her eyes, and picture said outfit, and to her surprise, she felt the bracelet warm up slightly. She pressed the face, and immediately, a blue sparkle flew out of the crystal. The sparkle flew to the princess feet, and quickly began circling her in a clockwise fashion, quickly traveling up. Peach found herself spinning around counter-clockwise as the sparkle of magic reached her waist. She could also feel clothes go through changes.

And just like that, it end, just as quickly as it had started. When Peach regained her senses, she looked down, surprised of what had replaced her royal gown.

She now spotted a pair of pink and white high tops, and white knee high socks. She now has a dark pink skirt that stopped a few inches nears the knees. She wore a light pink shirt with sleeves that stopped a few inches passed elbow. She still wore white gloves, only they reached to the wrist and were finger-cut. She also has a dark pink, sleeveless jacket with a hood on the back. She felt that her hair was somehow tied back, and she felt that something was tied around her head.

Lucky for her, Toad-Lee had left while she was looking herself over, and returned with a small mirror, allowing herself to finish looking at her new look. She took the object and looked deeply into it. The make-up that once highlighted her face was gone, leaving only her natural beauty to shine. Her large sapphire earrings have been replaced with diamond-shape jade earrings that barely exceeded her ears. Her hair has been tired up into a ponytail, and a headband now covers her forehead. The headband was large enough that it covered the flips of her hair without any discomfort. The headband itself was a light yellow with a white circle in the middle, and a yellow P in it.

Peach looked at the craftsman, both amaze and confused all of this time. Craftsman-Lee just chuckle lightly.

"This is the results of both the Silk-beetle's flow-magic, and runes cravings that I had put on the bracelet," The older toad explained kindly. "One of the runes connects to the mind, while the other one help the Flow-magic to create the desire outfit. But, its only good once. So, you can't create an entire wardrobe using the bracelet without adding more crystals, and the magic is only good as long as the bracelet is on your wrist. You can also change back into your normal outfit by pressing the crystal again, but be warned, repeated uses will drain the crystal and it will need to be recharged."

Peach nodded, still processing the information she got. She looked back at the mirror, in awe of what she just experience. She knew that there was powerful magic in her kingdom, but this was something truly amazing. As she regained her composure a bit, she couldn't help but smile a bit. Even without the make-up, she was still beautiful. She also noticed that the leaf hood and her leaf sleeping back had come off during her outfit change, but that didn't matter at the time.

Suddenly, the ground shook, startling the mini ruler. She heard the Lee family gasp, and together the two ran to the front of the store. Curious, Peach put down the mirror and followed. She got out and gasped as she saw a figure, a large figure standing in front store. Something from deep within told the small princess that things were about to get ugly around here.

It was during this time, that Peach decided that she would help these poor folks, in both helping to free them from whoever was controlling them, and maybe even help them find a way to rejoin her kingdom.

(…)

M: Sorry, No Luigi in this part. But I promise he will have a bigger role in the next time. Count in it!


	4. The Red Devil

M: Things about to get dicey.

Paper Mario:

Peach's Small Adventure:

Prolong Part 3:

The Red Devil

Peach found herself holding her breath as the figure looms over the small store, daring not to move. She knew, without even getting a good look at him, that this was the guy who was terrorizing the people of this village.

_I didn't realize it was going to be so big,_ Peach thought, suddenly doubtfully about her abilities to help this village after all.

The figure walked past the store, and the small princess exhaled. She walked up to the front of the store, and look out the window, watching the figure walk through town. She noticed that any and every toad that saw this figure, dropped what they were working on, and beginning following it.

"What's happening?" Peach asked curiously, looking at the Lee family.

Craftsman-Lee sighed deeply, and walked up to the front door. "This is the time when Red-Vil comes to the village, asking something of us."

"When we don't do as he says, he gets very upset," Toad-Lee said, continuing where his father left off.

Peach frowned as her looked between the father and son. She noticed that their eyes had become heavy and their voice deep with sadness. She suddenly remembered that Toad-Lee has said that he had lost someone before. Did this Red-Vil have something to with it?

The mini ruler was brought out of thoughts when she heard a door opening. She looked towards the door, and saw father and son leaving, causing her to frown. She started to follow, but was stopped by Craftsman-Lee.

"It might be better if you stay here, young princess. We don't want Red-Vil to get suspicious if he sees someone new," the older toad said cautiously.

Peach frowned at this. While she did see the logical behind the elder's words, she was determined to help this village. She wasn't just going to sit around, while she can get some insight on the person who was causing this village pain. She narrowed her eyes in determination, and looked the craftsman straight in the eyes.

"I really am grateful for all you have done," the princess said, her voice firm. "And I want to help, so please let me come with you?"

Craftsman-Lee let out a small sigh. He knew, from the look in her eyes that the princess wasn't going to take no got an answer. Plus the only way he could stop her was to lock her up. So with a heavy sigh, the older toad nodded.

"…Just don't draw to much attention to yourself. Ok?"

Peach smiled and nodded. She then put up her hood, and tucked her hair in the hood, before following the two toads. After a short walked, the trio found themselves in the town square. Everyone from the town was there, standing in front of a big platform. The shrunken blonde felt a little uncomfortable as she joined the crowd with her guides. It was eerily quiet, the near opposite of the lively town she entered a few minutes ago. In fact, after looking around, she noticed that all the toads were nervous some were even close to hyperventilating.

Suddenly the princess's attention was draw to the front of the crowd when she heard horns going off. She turned her eyes to the front and nearly gasped as the figure from before appeared on the platform. Red-Vil most have been over 12 feet tall, (to her at least), covered head to toe in a suit of armor. The armor, strangely, was shaped like a frog, and was mostly red. The only thing that stood out about the suit was a small orb, stacking out from the chest, glowing gold.

The small princess frowned as she looked at the person who was no doubt using her image as a figurehead to terrorize these poor villagers. She would admit that his size and armor made him look menacing, but otherwise, he didn't look all that tuff. Then again, she knows from personal experience that looks are misleading.

The crowd suddenly got quiet, well, quieter, as Red-Vil began talking.

"My dear toads of Toad-Craft village," the frog-like creature said loudly, speaking with a southern accent. "It time for you, once more, to replay me for my serves as your fateful guardian. For, without me to protect you the forces of the vale tyrant Peach, who knows what would have been fallen you"

Peach frown as she heard her name was called. Red-Vil put a lot of menace behind his voice when he use her name, like he was making her out be some of evil and vale person who cared nothing about the people that she ruled.

_He's making me sound just as bad as Bowser,_ Peach thought, feeling a bit angry.

"So, I ask you, grateful people of the village that I protect, what have you found for me today?" the sound of Red-Vil's voice brought Peach out of her thoughts, and she looked at the frog-like creature.

The mini ruler watched as two toad stepped forward, both twitching nervously. She frowned when she noticed that they were holding hands, making her think that they were some sort of couple. Her frown deepens slightly when she noticed that the man was holding onto his lover's hand tightly.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Red-Vil, but we haven't found what you're looking for," the male toad said nervously.

Red-Vil looked down at the two toads, and Peach noticed his full attention was on the young female. Her lover noticed this, and with a quick motion, brought the scared female close to him, arms around her shoulders. The shrunken blonde may not be able to see his face, but she got the feeling that the toad-like creature wasn't happy with the news, and was planning something terrible.

This made Peach just a bit madder.

"What do you mean you found nothing?" Red-Vil said, keeping his voice even. "I protect you from that tyrant Peach, who dares to rule the upper world with TWO iron fists and when she learn about your defenseless village, she sent her forces, just so she could make herself feel even bigger then she's already is!"

Peach felt her anger rise again. Red-Vil was painting a nasty picture of her, and using it to frighten these poor villagers into being his personal labor force. And to make matter worse was that this tactic was working. She didn't care that her image was being used in such a way, she cared that these poor soul were being used in such a way.

…_If there was something I could do,_ Peach thought, determined once more to help out.

Before she could move, however, she felt someone grabbed onto her left hand. She looked to her left, and saw Craftsman-Lee, giving a warning glare.

"Don't do anything reckless," the older toad advised in a harsh whisper. "Trust me on this, you can't beat him."

Peach frowned as she looked at the frog-like creature, a bitter taste in her mouth. She wanted nothing more then to leap up there, and show these scared villagers that the one to fear is their so-called protector. And yet, she couldn't will herself to take action, the stare that the older Lee gave her fresh in her mind.

"Please, sir, we don't know what we're looking for," the male toad said, holding his lover tighter.

"I'm sorry, but that excuse wouldn't work this time," Red-Vil said, sounding cold. "I'm afraid you'll need to be punished. Remember, I'm doing this for your own good."

A hidden compartment opened under Red-Vil's chest with a small noise. Suddenly, an object shot out from the compartment, quicker then eye could follow, and grabbed the female. Her lover tried to hold her firmly as the object, revealed to be a claw of some kind, begin pulling. Unfortunately, the claw proved to be stronger, and the young male couldn't hold onto his lover, loosing his grip in mere seconds. The two screamed out their lovers' name as the female toad was taken into the armor, the compartment closing seconds after the toad entered into the shadows. The male toad fell to his knees, sobbing loudly.

Peach gasped, but not due to the fact that she just witnessed an in innocent toad taken by force. She gasped because all that happened and no one in the village lifted a finger to help. It was all so…discouraging, to say the least.

"…Now, my fateful toads, I will return tomorrow. How I proceed is all up to you," Red-Vil said calmly, and then walked away.

The villagers of Toad-craft village, and one disguised princess, watched as the giant frog-like creature walked away. The crowd broke apart a moment later, small, nervous whispers being exchanged. Peach watch them go, confusion written all over her face. She felt a tuck on her shirt sleeve and turned to look at Craftsman-Lee. She saw that the looked on his face was different, nearly devoid of any emotions.

"If you want to know everything, comes to my store, and I will explain why is useless fighting him," the craftsman said, his voice cold.

He then began walking back to his store. Peach frowned as she looked at Toad-Lee, hoping for some insight. To her surprise, the teenage toad was just as clueless. She looked back at the retreating form of the elder toad, suddenly feeling uneasy. Still, she followed him, hoping to find someway to hope these poor souls.

(…)

"…Fountain? I don't see any fountain, you stupid plumber," Bowser said harshly.

Mario frowned lightly as she looked at the old, broken fountain in a semi-clearing, feeling that there was something important about it. The mismatch pair had entered into the Lost Forest nearly 20 minutes ago, searching for the princess. The forest, however, prove to be worthy of it name. The two didn't have a clue where to start, and Bowser, unwilling to let Mario lead, had force Mario to follow him.

This was a decision that Mario had come to regret quickly. As it turns out, Bowser had zero sense of direction. He had gotten lost more times then Mario cared to count. Luckily he had thought ahead, and has been marking the area with a numbering system, so they wouldn't get lost. Unfortunately, this system had quickly turned against him, as they had passed by many numbers that Mario had made, giving him a small headache.

This all changed, however when they came upon an old fountain. Mario had looked around, and found some light footprints, matching that of Princess Peach's shoe type. Unfortunately, when he showed the fountain to Bowser, the Koppa King didn't see the object. The red plumber had tried and failed to get his rival to see reason. So, he gave up, taking one last look around the fountain. He found more footprints, but not enough to get a general direction of where the princess went. So he marked a nearby tree with a "12", and hurried after Bowser.

"If you didn't waste my time with your silly painting, I could have found the princess by now," Bowser said, scowling angrily as Mario joined him.

The red plumber was silent as he walked past his rival, looking for more signs of the princess. Bowser didn't like this, and quickly caught up to him, rudely shoving the plumber behind him. Mario scowled lightly but followed his rival needlessly. After a near ten minutes search, Bowser let out an angry roar.

"Why haven't I found the princess yet?" the Koppa roar angrily.

Mario took a few steps back as the angry Bowser began pacing, rumbling to himself about something that the plumber couldn't understand. He let out a faint sigh and began looking around, trying to find signs of the princess. There was a sudden rustle, drawing Mario's attention. He looked to his right, and noticed a small bush, which was the source of the noise. He got closer, hoping this was the break he has been looking for.

Suddenly, a hammer come flying out from the bush, and Mario, adding quickly, darted to the right. While he dodged the attack, the hammer, unfortunately, hit Bowser in the right shoulder. While the blow wasn't powerful enough to cause serious harm, it did get Bowser's attention. He blinked once and looked in the direction where the hammer came from. He growl angrily when he saw Mario and thought he threw the hammer. Before he could attack, however, another hammer was thrown from the bush, and hit Bowser square in the eye. He let out a small cry as he fell onto his back. Gasping lightly, Mario took out his hammer and readied himself as two familiar figures emerged from the shadows.

"Well, well, look what we have hear, Green Destruction," Red-O said in a refined English voice.

"Indeed, Red Oblation," Green-D said in the same refined voice as his friend.

Mario studied the Hammer brothers that he defeated a short while ago noticing something different about them. The most noticeable was that they were no longer speaking in their accents. They also were now gray and with pale red shells. Finally, they eyes were glowing red, giving them quite the menacing look. They looked like the troop that Mario had encountered at Browser's lair.

Speaking of Bowser, he had recovered from the sneak attack, jumped to his feet, and growled when he laid eyes on his real attackers. "GAAHH! Is everyone in my army against me?"

Red-O just chuckled lightly, "Please, old boy, you're entire army could be conspiring against you, and you, with your limited intelligence would never have been aware of it until it was far to late to do anything."

This comment sent the Koppa King into a mad rage, and with a mighty roar charged at the two hammer brother. The brothers stood their ground, and Green-D threw his hammer. Red-O followed suit be jumping up, and threw his hammer. Mario watched, with a curious eye, as Red-O's hammer stroke his partner's in such a way, that the two hammer became interlocked and the continued onto to the Koppa King. Bowser, unable to stop, was hit in the chest, and knocked to the ground, gasping for air.

Mario watched as Red-O caught both hammers, and gave his brother's hammer back to him. He couldn't help but notice that these were trained in similar fashion to those Koppa Troopa that they fought not to long ago. He tightened his grip on his hammer and was about to attack when Red-O spoke.

"Now, before you do anything rash, old boy, I believe you might be interested in what we have here."

The red plumber watched as Green-D returned to the bush that the hammer brothers came from pulled someone out from it. Mario gasped as he saw Luigi, tied and gagged. Green-D returned to his partner and trained his hammer at the top of the green plumber's head.

"Now, be a gentleman, and throw down that hammer, if you don't want any harm to befall your brother, that is," Red-O said in a smug tone.

Mario growled lowly but did as he was told and dropped the hammer. Red-O grinned and got closer, getting between the plumber and his weapon of choice.

"Good show, old bean," the red hammer brother said mockingly. "Now, did you haven't to seen any sort of fountain on your travels around these woods?"

Mario narrowed his brow at the question. He didn't like where this was going. Still, he didn't have much of choice, with his brother's life on the line. He gesture for the Hammer brothers to follow him and he began walking in the direction of the fountain he saw earlier. Red-O and Green-D began to follow the plumber, casually stepping past Bowser.

Suddenly, the Koppa King leapt to his feet, and with a quick tail swipe, knocking Red-O to the ground. Mario used this to own end, and dashed for the other brother, knocking him back with a flying kick. He then hurried up and untied Luigi. The taller plumber sighs in relief and thanked his brother.

The reunion was short lived, however, as the plumbers heard small battles cry and looked behind them. The hammer brother had recovered, and regrouped, and had fallen back to a safe distance. Bowser, still mad, charged, roaring as fire fell from the corners of his mouth. The Hammer brothers, for their part, remain calm, preparing for their next attack.

Green-D took of a vial of red liquid and pooled it over his hammer. He threw the hammer, and it began spinning in an unnatural way, tearing up the ground as it traveled towards the Koppa king. Red-O jumped up, and threw his hammer at his partner's hammer. This cause Green-D's hammer to fly up, and strike Brower right under the chin. The Koppa King fell and didn't get back up. The hammer flew back into the hands of Green-D as the hammer brothers walked up to the unconscious Bowser. Red-O took his hammer back and looked down at king.

"Our lord was indeed right," Red-O said smugly. "The supposed King of the Koppas is nothing more then a giant buffoon who relies on nothing but power."

"Indeed so, brother," Green-D replied and brought his hammer close to Bowser's head. "It would be easy to permanently rid our lord of his biggest roadblock, wouldn't you say?"

Red-O nodded his agreement and raised his hammer alongside his brother, ready to finish off Bowser once and for all. Suddenly, both were knocked away from the Koppa King. The Hammer brothers looked up, and saw the Mario brothers, ready for a fight. Mario has also gotten his hammer back and looked ready to use it.

"Well, my brother, looks like we overlooked a minor annoyance," Red-O said calmly.

"Indeed, brother," Green-D replied calmly. "Shall we use technique 12 to correct that little oversight?"

Red-O grinned at his brother, and together, the two jumped high into the air. Luigi watched this, becoming a bit panicky, while Mario also watch, a determine expression to his face. He may not know what this technique 12 is, but he wasn't going to let them use it, not after everyone he had witness from them.

The red plumber jumped up, following the hammer brothers closely. The brothers, unprepared for this sudden move, hastily threw their hammers. Mario was able to knock the hammers out of his way as he continued onto the hammer brothers. The brothers were once again caught off guard by the sudden move, and wasn't able to do anything when the red plumber manage to hit both of them.

"Luigi!" Mario shouted, to get his brother's attention and pointed to falling hammers.

The green plumber saw the hammers, and knew what his brother had in mind. He hesitant for only a second, and ran for the hammers, grabbing one with a show of skills. He then ran for the hammer brothers, ready to take them on.

The Hammer Brothers were able to recovered and land on their feet. Before they could act, however, Luigi rushed in, and knocked Green-D away from his brother. Red-O scowl slightly and was about to attack Luigi, only to have Mario land right in front of him. The red hammer brother was barely able to bring out his extra hammer and block a strike from the other red hammer wielder.

"…I underestimate you," Red-O replied, a bit of anger in his voice. "Something I don't plan to do again."

He then broke his hammer free, and tried to attack Mario. The Mushroom Kingdom's savior jumped on the hammer brother's head, causing him to loose his hammer. He then came down behind the Koppa and swing his hammer against his opponent's shell, sending him flying into a nearby tree. Red-O groaned lightly as fell into unconscious.

Mario let out a light sigh as he put his hammer away, glad that it was over. He suddenly heard his brother's familiar cry and without a second thought hurried to him.

Luigi, unfortunately, wasn't doing as good as his brother, and his opponent was fair more skilled then his first thought. He found himself slowly backed into a corner from Green-D's continuous assault. He suddenly cried out when he tripped over something, knocking the wind out of him. He looked up and saw his opponent readying the next blow. Luigi close his eyes, letting out another scream.

Suddenly, the object that Luigi trip up shot up, unknowingly punching Green-D right in the face. The green hammer brother was sent flying straight into a tree, taking him out of the game. Luigi blinked as he looked at Brower, the object that he tripped over, yawn slightly, and scratched his shell. He lazily looked around, and then turned his attention to the green plumber. Luigi began to panic, thinking that the Koppa King would attack him. Bowser just groans and walked away. Luigi sighed with relief and got up as Mario came up to him.

Within a few minutes, the unlikely group had round up the two hammer brothers, and disarmed them. And now all they had to do was waited for the HB come around. Once they were fully awake Brower began grilling them for answers.

"Now, tell me who's planning to overthrow me?" the lizard-like creature asked angrily.

Red-O just laughed right in Bowser face, and that made the Koppa king madder. Fortunately, Mario got between his rival and their prisoners before anything could happen. The Mushroom Kingdom's savoir looked at his imposter, throwing threatening glares. Red-O just ignored the glare and looked behind the plumber the best his could, a cocky grin growing on his face.

"For all you know, your wickedness, your entire kingdom could be plotting your downfall even as we speak. But your ever shrinking brain wouldn't be even able to consider such possibility until you're attacked," the red hammer brother said mockingly.

The rouge Koppa closely watched Browser's face. His grown widen as he saw that his words had cause the reaction that he was hoping for. Brower was clearly angrier then he was a moment ago, flames were coming from his mouth.

"…For that matter, how do you know that anyone in your kingdom has ever been truly on your side? If I were you, I will stay by the plumbers' side. At least with them, there's no fear of a double cross," Red-O said smugly.

Well, that was it for Browser. He let out an angry roar and made a mad rush at the traitors, forcefully pushing Mario out of the way. With one mighty swing of his claw, sent both hammer brothers into a tree. Unfortunately, that was enough to activate the enchantment on the H-brothers, and they began to dissolve into the ground.

"Thank you, your wickedness," Red-O said in mock gratitude. "And just for a little tease, let just say the one whom planning your downfall is someone in the family."

Soon after, the enchantment finished and the two hammer brothers were gone, leaving over their words behind. Mario looked at his archenemies, curious to know if he knew anything. Browser, however, just shrugged, and then turned to leave. Luigi joined his brother and together, the Mario brothers looked at each other with concern.

"…Move it, you stupid plumbers! We don't have all year to waste! Bowser called rudely.

The Mario brothers looked at Bowser quickly before looking at each other, concern and doubt written clearly on their faces. Both knew that something was up, and rather they like it or not, Bowser was in the middle of it. But at the moment, that would have to be put on hold, as finding Princess Peach comes first. So the two hurried after their reluctant ally, ready to begin the search anew.

(…)

"…Pa, what are you saying?" Toad-Lee asked in shock.

Peach was also shocked, but hid it better then her new friend. After Craftsman-Lee had taken them back to his shop, he then told them about a dark secret that he had kept from his son.

The older Toad nodded, and shamefully looked away. "Yes son, it's just as I told you. I help to create the armor Red-Vil wears now?"

"But why, pa?" the younger toad in a mix of shock and confusion.

Craftsman-Lee sighed and turned so his back was facing his son, and the mini princess. He closed his eyes, and let out another sigh before speaking. His voice was soft, but still hearable.

"Two years ago, Red-Vil came to this village, and secretly gathered up the best craftsmen in village. He wanted us to make a suit of armor out of Gold Silk-Beetle crystals, the rarest of all silk-beetle crystals. We naturally refused, but he wouldn't just take no for an answer, and forced us our hands by kidnapping our loved ones."

The elder toad suddenly became quiet, lost in the memory of that terrible day. He could still remember the cries of friends' loved ones as they were taken away. He still recalled his wife pleading with Red-Vil to spare their son. He closed his eyes as he remembered the look on his lover's face as she was taken away.

He let out another sigh, and turned to face his son, eyes half open. When he spoke next, he voice have become filled with grief.

"He said if we make the suit, he would return our loved ones. None of us actually believed him, but are hands were tied, and we fulfilled the request. But, just as we thought, he didn't return our loves. Instead, he took my follow craftsmen."

Craftsman-Lee closed his eyes again, becoming lost in another painful memory. He still remembered faces of the terrified craftsmen as they were all scooped into the suit they had help to create. He then remembered how Red-Vil turned to him and spoke in a voice that sent shivers down his back.

"_If you tell anyone about this, I will take your son."_

Craftsman-Lee let out a heavy sigh and continues talking but kept his eyes closed. "I suspect that he didn't take me because having five of the best craftsmen disappear all at once would draw to much attention. Soon after that, the enforcers began attacking, and Red-Vil appeared, acting like a brave hero. I knew the truth, of course. I knew that the so-called savior wasn't who he said he was, I just couldn't tell anyone the truth."

And with that, the room fell into tense silence. The small ruler, with an unreadable face, looked at her young friend. Toad-Lee's face was alive with emotion. It was clear that he was working through some mixed feelings, probably aimed at his father. She looked at the craftsman, and saw that his eyes were still closed, but noticed that his head was tilled toward his son, like he was waiting for his son to say something. So she decided to something before things got to tense between the father and son.

"Ahem, can I ask something?" the mini ruler asked politely.

Craftsman-Lee looked at the shrunken blonde and nodded his eyes solemn. It almost broke the princess's heart to see one of her subjects looking so broken. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to feel any sympathy, not of she wanted to save these poor souls.

"…You said earlier that fighting Red-Vil was pointless, but I'm afraid I still don't understand," Peach said kindly.

Craftsman-Lee sighed heavily and looked at the floor. "Gold Silk-beetle crystal is the rarest and most powerful all of crystals. Anything made from it is nearly indestructible. Fighting him would be a waste of time and would likely end with your capture," the craftsman said solemnly.

The craftsman's words weren't lost on the mini ruler. She clearly heard him say that the armor was nearly indestructible, which meant there was a way around that suit after all.

"Pa…" Toad-Le said his voice somewhat cold. "You said nearly indestructible. Does that mean there's same way around that armor?"

Craftsman-Lee looked at his son, his eyes becoming heavier. It was clear that his son tone was affecting him and once more Peach had to stop herself from reaching out and trying to help settle things between the father and son. The elder told looked at the little princess, and Peach silent urged him to continue. Craftsman-Lee let out a faint sigh and then looked at his son.

"…As you know, son, Silk-Beetle crystal recharge itself after a period of non-use. But what you didn't know is that the higher level crystals need an outside source to remain powered. Without daily recharge, the suit would quickly weaken, and become useless," the craftsman said quietly.

That got the gears in Peach's head turning. If it was true, then all she needed to do was disable that power source. She then could the villager rid themselves of the true villain.

"Pa…if this is true, then why haven't you done anything to stop Red-Vil?" Toad-Lee asked suspiciously.

Peach looked at her friend, once more feeling sympathy for the young toad. It was clear from his tone he was mad at his father and his inaction. And that made the mini ruler's heart ache that much more. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one who picked up on the angry toad's tone. Craftsman-Lee let out a heavy sigh and once more looked at the floor.

"You must believe me, son, I have thought about many times," he said solemnly. "I even asked for that witch's help when she stopped by our village that one time. But I couldn't run the risk being caught. I didn't want to leave you alone."

Toad-Lee looked away from his father as he left, unable to even be in the same room with the man at the moment. Peach could once more feel her heart ache, but kept herself together as she walked up to the craftsman and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, I know you're hurting at the moment, but you said you have a way to stop Red-Vil, what is it?" Peach felt sick to her stomach. She didn't like anyone to be in pain, but she has realized that if she was going to truly help the village, she would need to put any personal feelings aside for the time being.

Craftsman-Lee sighed and took something out of his vest. He showed a small black pearl to the princess. Peach looked deeply into the pearl feeling familiar magic coming off of it.

"The witch said that this pearl would naturalize the power source of Red-Vil's armor," Craftsman-Lee replied solemnly.

Peach held out her hands as Craftsman-Lee dropped the pearl into her palms. With a silent thank you, she pocketed the pearl and turned to leave. She stopped when the other toad spoke to her.

"…I know what's you're planning and I'm telling you it foolish. Red-Vil is probably back at his lair by now. You'll run the risk of being caught. Do you really want to take that risk?" the craftsman asked seriously.

With a light sigh, the shrunken blonde looked at the toad, her expression firm. "Yes. I told your son this before; I can't stand it when people are suffering. If I could, I would risk my very being to help someone in need," She said sincerely.

And with that, she left, leaving the elder toad with his shame and guilt.

Peach was surprise when she found Toad-Lee, standing outside of his family shop. She was even more surprise of what happen next.

"If you're going after Red-Vil, I want in," the young toad said his voice firm. "And before you say anything I want to say this; I know this forest better then anyone else. I even know where Red-Vil's lair is. Beside, even if you say no, I will just follow you without you're knowing."

Peach looked her friend directly in the eyes, and saw the determination in them. Truthfully, she didn't want to put her friend in any real danger, but realized the truth to his words. She was a stranger in an even stranger land. She could wonder around aimlessly for days on end and probably never find Red-Vil's lair.

So, with a reluctant sigh, the mini ruler gave in and nodded. Toad-Lee didn't give any sort of reaction; he just turned and began to walk. Peach began to follow him, only to stop when she felt a pair of eyes on her back. Turning around, she saw Craftsman-Lee, looking out his shop window. The elder toad had regret and guilt lining his face, and it made the princess's heart heavy with her own regret. She forced a smile onto her face, trying to tell the toad that everything was going to be okay, and then hurried after her friend.

(…)

True to his word, Toad-Lee had lead Peach to Red-Vil's lair. The villain-pretending-to-be-a-hero's lair was located in a large tree near Toad-craft Village, and was only a seven minute walk. Luck was also apparently with the two, as Red-Vil wasn't in at the moment, and there was no traps, making the two jobs that much easier.

Peach felt a bit disturb as she wonder the halls of the villain's lair. The inside wasn't what she was expecting. Instead of tree bark, she saw stone walls. It remained her strangely of Brower's many fortresses that she was kept prisoner in. In fact, the place looked so much like one of Brower's fortress, she found herself guiding Toad-Lee to center, where they found a throw with two orbs around it.

Peach got close to the throne, studying the orbs thoroughly. The orb on the right was filled with golden color energy swimming around peacefully. She turned her attention to the other orb and frown. The energy in this orb was a muddy brown, and appears to be more violet, bursting against the glass as it tired to break free. Peach frown deepen as she realized something.

"…Which one is the source of Red-Vil's armor?" she whispered under her breath.

She patted the pocket that held the pearl. Since she had only one, she couldn't afford to waste it, or the village would never be free. She began to panic as she looked between the two orbs, wondering which one she should choose.

_If I choose wrong, then the village suffers because of it,_ the mini ruler thought worryingly.

"It the orb on the right," Toad-Lee said.

Startled, Peach looked at her friend, and this time, did see his eyes glowing. It clicked with the mini ruler at that moment. Toad-Lee process the silver-line slight, a rare gift that some toads are born with, allowing them to truth beneath lies and other things. She only ever had seen it in textbooks, and even doubt that it was real. Still, something in her heart told her to trust her friend.

She looked at the orb with the golden energy. Though she still had her doubts, she walked up to the orb. After a little investigation, she found a small led, and opened it, dropping the pearl in without a moment hesitation. She then watched as the energy turned pitch black for a moment and then returned it original color.

Peach walked up to her friend put a hand on his shoulder. "Now, I think we should go before-"

A sudden noise caught the mini ruler and her friend off guard, and they looked toward the hall. They saw a shadow rapidly approaching and it knew it meant only one thing. Red-Vil had returned, and with their only known exit blocked, they were trapped.

(…)

M: Well, another part close, and the big fighting coming next. Be sure to tone in for it.


End file.
